Document Type: Technical Research Report Authority: Government Military (authoritative reference) Document Number: Navy Department, Bureau of Aeronautics Technical Note No. 59 (dated 1923), based on "Reprint of Navy Department, Bureau of Construction and Repair A. T. N. [Aeronautical Technical Note] No. 146".

Scope: Report prepared by Commander H. C. Richardson, C. C., U.S.N. [United States Navy]. "Paper read before the Annual Meeting of Society of Automobile Engineers, February 4-6, 1919."

Contents: "The problem confronting the Navy was largely determined at the time the United States entered the war by the fact that the operations of the German and Austrian fleets had been reduced principally to minor raids from the fleet bases at Kiel and Pola, and the only real seagoing operations comprised the activity of submarines.

The work of the seaplanes, therefore, was primarily reduced to that of cooperation with the fleet in reducing the submarine menace. This naturally led to the establishment of coastal stations in France, Italy, England, Scotland, and Ireland. In these operations it was possible to operate seaplanes from shore bases in practically every case, and the development of work with the fleet became a minor consideration.

Some of the seaplane bases, however, were sufficiently close to enemy territory to be within raiding distance of enemy planes of both land and water types, and it became necessary for the Navy to extend its activities to the use of land planes for the protection of seaplane bases, while naval aviators also participated in big bombing raids on German and Austrian territory.

I refer to these matters in this general way, not to describe the activities, but to show that in naval work both land and water planes were used, and why the Navy problem was in general restricted to operation from shore bases rather than operation from ships. Activities, however, were not confined to shore bases in Europe. Stations were established on the Atlantic coast, principally for the purpose of submarine patrol and for convoy work from the principal ports from which our troops and supplies were sent abroad.

TYPES OF PLANES DEVELOPED. The work of seaplanes abroad was that of submarine patrol and convoy work, and, this having been determined on, all efforts were made to obtain the most suitable seaplanes for the service. The principal work was done with two types of seaplanes, namely, the HS-2 --the single-motored plane developed from the HS-1 -- and the H-16, a copy of the English seaplane of the same type developed as a result of Commander Porte's experience with the original America and subsequent types developed therefrom. Finally, the F-5-L type was developed from English designs for manufacture in this country by the Naval Aircraft Factory at Philadelphia. The HS-2 and the H-16 have proved well suited to the work required, but the F-5-L did not enter production early enough to get into active service before the armistice was declared.

The Navy did not attempt to develop land plane types, but accepted and used those which had been developed and produced for the Army, adopting for this purpose the English Handley-Page, the Italian Caproni, and the Army DH-4 and DH-9."